Electromagnetic relay



June23, 1959 I A. LAMBERT ETAL 2,892,053

ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY Filed May 9, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 23, 1959c, LAMBERT ETAL 2,892,053

ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY Filed Maya,- 1957 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 23, 1959c. A. LAMBERT ETAL ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY Filed May 9; 1957 5Sheets-Sheet 4 LIE-5.1.1,

c. A. LAMBERT ETAL 2,892,053

' ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY June 23, 1959 Filed May 9, 1957 I 5 Sheets-Sheet5 I07 FLASHER CONTROL DEVICE so L I IMANUAL. l l 1 S\GNALL\NG Au'roMATmI SW\TCH CANCELUNG' l 1 l swn-cH United States Patent M ELECTROMAGNETICRELAY Cecil A. Lambert and George L. Webb, Logansport, Ind., assignorsto Essex Wire Corporation Application May 9, 1957, Serial No. 658,098

4 Claims. (Cl. 200-87) This invention relates to electromagnetic relaysand has more particular reference, but without restriction thereto, torelays of the type that are especially suited for use in automotivedirectional signal systems of the character disclosed in US. Patent No.2,659,838, granted on November 17, 1953, to G. A. Du Rocher.

In general, turn signal systems of this type employ a pair of multiplecontact relays electrically interconnected with each other and connectedin a number of electrical circuits such as the turn signalling selectingswitch, the automatic cancelling switch, the brake switch, the flasher,and the lamp circuits of an automobile. Prior art relays used for thisapplication have generally been of complicatedconstruction and require aconsiderable amount of space. Also, the use of prior art relays hasrequired the use of a large number of electrical conductors forinterconnecting the relays.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide animproved relay control device of rugged and compact construction whichis eflicient in operation and is more economical to manufacture thanprior art devices.

One or" the specific objects of the present invention is to provide animproved arrangement for supporting the armature and biasing it to itsnormal setting, which arrangement permits free movement of the armature.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fulcrum or rocking seatfor the armature to which the armature is secured by an arrangementwhich permits ready adjustment of the relay characteristics.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved actuatorunit by which the movement of the armature is transmitted to severalcontact springs.

A further object is to provide an improved arrange ment for supportingthe entire relay wherein the relay is disposed in a recessed portion ofa base which base also supports the relay switch contacts and theterminals of an electric circuit.

Other objects, advantages, and novel aspects of the invention willappear in the following description and the accompanying drawingswherein a preferred form of the invention is shown.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a control device embodying my invention,the cover being removed.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on line 2-2of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevational view looking at the right side of the controldevice as viewed in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an elevational view of the switch cover.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the heelpiece and the elements of thearmature assembly shown disassembled but in their proper order ofassembly.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the control device base and threecontact supporting elements.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the lines '7-7 inFigure 6.

Figure 8 is a plan view of an actuator element.

2,892,053 Patented June 23, 1959 Figure 9 is a side elevational view ofthe actuator element shown in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is an elevational view of two actuator elements joinedtogether to form an actuator unit.

Figure 11 is a plan view of the control device looking at the oppositeside of the control device as viewed in Figure 1.

Figure 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating conventionally the controldevice and its coils and contacts as well as the wiring diagram relatedthereto.

The control device illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter describedis specifically designed for controlling automotive turn signal andbrake signal lamps as in the above mentioned Du Rocher patent. Thisinvention is not limited to such turn signal systems nor it is limitedto the precise number of contacts or relay units specifically disclosedhere. As the description proceeds, it will be apparent that a greater orlesser number of relay units and switch contacts to be operated therebymay be employed while retaining important features of the invention.

The control device generally comprises a rectangular base 20 made ofinsulating material, two electromagnetic relay units 21 and 22, theparts of which are mounted on the base 20, and a cover 23 which with thebase 20 encloses the relay units. The cover 23 is provided with tongues24 to be bent under the edges on the base 20 to hold the cover in place.Attached to the cover 23 is a bracket 25 by which the control device maybe attached to a wall or panel (not shown).

The base 20 may be a single molded unit of insulating material havingintegral therewith all the necessary projections, apertures, etc., ashereinafter described. As more clearly shown in Figure 6, base 20 has arectangularly shaped open side 26 exposing a recessed central portion 27with a bottom wall 28. The major portions of relay units 21 and 22 aredisposed within the recessed portion 27 and secured to wall 28.

integral projections 29, 30, and 31 of base 20 are provided to supportthe ends of the contact springs 32, 33, 34, and 35 which are made ofrelatively thin flexible sheet metal stock. Rivets 36 serve to securethe contact springs 32, 33, 34, and 35 and their respective terminals37, 38, 39, and 40 to the base 20 and to provide electrical connectionbetween the contact springs and their respective terminals. A pair ofcontacts 32a is carried on the free end of the contact spring 32 and asecond pair of contacts 35a is carried on the free end of the contactspring 35. Contact springs 32, 33, 34, and 35 have openings 41 throughwhich extend the bosses 42. The purpose of these bosses is to insurethat the contact springs are properly aligned. As can be best seen inFigures 6 and 7 recesses 43 around the bosses 42 enable the contactsprings to lay fiat against their respective projections 29, 30, and 31.

The reduced diameter portions of contacts 44 and 45 respectively, passthrough the projections 46 and 47 of the base 20 and by means of theirupset ends 48 serve to attach terminals 49 and 50 respectively to thebase 20.

Terminal 51 and the connecting strip 52 are similarly secured to thebase 20 by contact rivets 53 and 54 passing through projections 47 and46. Between the projections 46 and 47, two supporting legs 55 and 56formed of metal stock are secured to the base 20 by the contact rivets57 and 58 respectively and are utilized as supporting elements of thetwo stationary contacts 59 and 60. A third supporting leg 61 having arms62 and 63 respectively supporting stationary contacts 64 and 65 issimilarly attached to terminal 66. No terminal connections to rivetcontacts 54, 57, and 58 are required and their ends are upset againstwashers 54a, 57a, and 58a respectively.

The electromagnetic operating mechanisms for displacing the contactsprings is mounted in the recessed cen- 'tral portion 27 of the base 20.The electromagnetic operating mechanism of relay unit 21 includes aframe 67 of magnetic material, a magnetic core 68 secured to the frame67 and carrying a coil 69, an armature '70 pivot-- ably mounted on theframe 67 and co-operating with the pole face 71 at the end of core 68,and actuator elements 72 secured by rivet 73 to the armature forswitching engagement with the. contact springs.

The frame 67 has a substantially Z-shape and includes a body 74terminating in two oppositely directed arms 75 and 76. The core 68 has areduced diameter portion 77 which passes through the opening 78 in theframe arm 75 and the opening 79 in the base bottom wall 23 to secureterminal 80, core 68, and frame 67 to the base 20. The frame arm 75 hastwo pins 31 integral there with formed by punching which are received inthe recesses 82 in the bottom wall. 23 to align the frame 67 in respectto the base 20. The coil 69 is wound on the core 68 between the two endinsulators 83 and 84 which are suitably held on the core 68. Coil lead85 is soldered to terminal 86 which with terminal 87 is secured to thebase 20 by rivet 88. The other coil lead not shown is electricallyconnected to the core 68 as by soldering. In relay unit 22, coil 89 iselectrically connected to terminals 87 and 90 in a similar manner.

At its junction with the body 74, the frame arm 76 has a convexly curvedsurface 91 to provide a fulcrum or seat upon which the armature '70 ismounted for rocking movement. Projecting from the frame body 7 at eitherside of the curved surface 91 are two tabs 92 to accommodate thearmature 70 at corresponding notches 93. There is sufficient clearancebetween the tabs 92 and the notches 93 to permit the armature 70 tofreely rock on the curved surface 91 toward and away from the pole face71 of the core 68. This armature mounting arrangement affords a lowreluctance path yet is simple and rugged with minimum frictional losses.

To move the contact springs back and forth between the opposed contactsadjacent the contact ends of the contact springs 32, 33, 34, and 35, thearmature 70 is provided with a pair of interlocked actuating elements 72made of insulating material. The actuating elements 72 are secured tothe armature by rivet 73 which also serves to secure the contact spring94 or 95 on the oppoisite side of the armature 70. The actuator element'72 is maintained aligned with respect to the armature 70 by xrecesses72a in the actuator element 72 into which extend the pins 70a formedintegral with the armature by punching. Each of the actuating elementsare identical in size and shape and include on one side a small detent-or lug 96 at each end for engagement with the contact springs and apair of centrally-located raised shoulders 97. The shoulders 97 havesubstantially the same shape and size as the openings between theshoulders 97 so that two actuating elements 72 can be assembled togetheras in Figure to provide an actuator device having opposed pairs of lugs96 for engaging the contact springs. Thus an improved actuator device ofa shape difficult to form in a single integral unit is simply andeconomically formed from two identical parts made from the same set ofmolding dies.

The armature 70 is clamped to the frame 67 and is normally biased awayfrom the core pole face 72 by an arrangement comprising a coil spring 98positioned between the head 99 of screw 100 and a recessed portion 101of the armature 70. The screw 100 passes through an opening 102 in thearmature and is received by the threaded hole 103 in the arm 76 of theframe 67. Recessed portions 104 in the base prevent binding of the endof the screw 100 against the base 20. The spring is thus utilized forthe dual purpose of clamping the armature 70 against the frame curvedsurface 90 and of biasing the armature 70 in a direction to move theactuatorelements 72 away from the core pole face 71. In

addition, spring 98 insures good electrical connection between the frame67 and the armature 70 as part of the current path to coil 69 or 89including core 68 and the contact spring 94 or 95. The biasing force andhence the contact pressure of the normally closed contacts and the relaypull in voltage may be selectively varied or adjusted by varying theelevation of the screw head 99 with respect to the frame arm 76.

Referring to Figure 12, the electrical circuit of the control devicedescribed above in connection with Figures l-ll is shown with theseveral parts and terminals of the control device indicated by likereference numerals. Figure 12, in addition, shows the connection of thecontrol device in an automotive directional signal system according tothe above mentioned Du Rocher Patent No. 2,659,838. In this system, thecontrol device together with a manually operated signalling andcancelling switch 105, an automatic cancelling switch 106, and a flasherswitch Hi7 control a pair of signal lamps 108 and 109 for signalling aright turn of a vehicle at the front and rear thereof respectively and asecond pair of signal lamps 110 and 111 at the front and rearrespectively of the vehicle for signalling a left turn. The right andleft rear lamps 109 and 111 are also energized as stop signalling lampswhen not used to signal a turn by the brake pedal operated switch 112.The operation of the directional signal system' shown is in accordancewith the showing and teaching of the abovementioned Du Roclier patent.

From the foregoing explanation, it will be understood that thearrangement of the various components of each relay unit and also thedisposition of the contacts and contact springs on one side of the basein spaced rela- 'ticnship around the electromagnetic operatingmechanisms which are disposed in a recessed portion of the base resultin an extremely compact arrangement. Further by directly attaching thefixedcontacts and the contact springs to terminals locatedon theopposite side of the base, further compactness of arrangement isafforded. Another advantage of this construction is that a cover ofminimum size may be used to enclose all exposed relay parts.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in its preferredembodiment and has included certain details, it should be understoodthat the invention is not to be limited to the precise details hereinillustrated and described since the same may be carried out in otherways, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. in an electromagnetic relay, in combination, a base member, amagnetic field structure attached to said base member, anelectromagnetic operating winding carried by said field structure, amovable armature controlled by said electromagnetic operating winding, apair of contact springs supported adjacent said armature, and a pair ofinterlocked actuating elements of insulating material secured to saidarmature for transmitting movement of said armature to said springs,each of said actuating elements having on one side a pair of centrallylocated shoulders and a pair of lugs for co-operation with said contactsprings, said shoulders having substantially the same shape and size asthe openings between said shoulders to permit interengagement of saidshoulders with each other, the lugs of one of the actuating elementsbeing directed to the lugs of the other actuating element on oppositesides of said contact springs.

2. A movement transferring device for electromagnetic relay springscomprising two actuating elements of insulation material havingidentical size and shape, each of said actuating elements having abodyportion from one side of which project a pair of centrally locatedshoulders and a pair of lugs for co-operation with said relay springs,said shoulders having substantially the same shape and size as theopenings between said shoulders, the lugs of one of the actuatingelements being directed to the lugs of the other actuating element in aspaced relationship when the shoulders of one actuating element areseated in the openings between the shoulders of the other actuatingelement.

3. An electromagnetic relay comprising: a base member of insulatingmaterial having a recessed portion; a magnetic field structure mountedin said recessed portion; a winding carried by said field structure; amagnetic armature movable between magnetically attracted and unattractedpositions; two contact springs disposed in substantially parallelrelation adjacent opposite sides of the armature; said base memberhaving two longitudinally extending bosses integrally projecting fromsaid base member; said base member having a recess surrounding andimmediately adjacent each of said bosses at the junction thereof to saidbase member; each of said contact springs including a strip of resilientmaterial secured at one end to said base member adjacent one of saidbosses; each of said strips of resilient material including alongitudinally extending slot therein for receiving one of said bosses;stationary contacts supported by said base member; movable contactscarried by said contact springs for cooperative engagement with saidstationary contacts; and means transmitting movement of said armature tosaid contact springs.

4. The electromagnetic relay of claim 3 wherein said means transmittingmovement of the armature to said contact springs comprise: twointerlocked actuating elements of insulating material secured to thearmature; each of said actuating elements having a body portion from oneside of which project a pair of centrally located shoulders and a pairof lugs for cooperation with said contact springs; said shoulders havingsubstantially the same shape and size as the openings between saidshoulders; the lugs of one of the actuating elements being directed tothe lugs of the other actuating element in a spaced relationship whenthe shoulders of one actuating element are seated in the openingsbetween the shoulders of the other actuating element; each of saidcontact springs passing between two of said spaced lugs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,089,157 Aufiero Aug. 3, 1937 2,542,174 Bando Feb. 20, 1951 2,588,257Lewus Mar. 4, 1952 2,658,961 Fisher Nov. 10, 1953 2,689,897 Lee Sept.21, 1954 2,782,270 Wiberg Feb. 19, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 168,528 AustriaJune 25, 1951 548,492 Great Britain Oct. 13, 1942 556,654 Great BritainOct. 14, 1943

